Minutemen: Not so tough without their guns

Minutemen attack protesters at Columbia.

Today a friend chided me for not blogging about the shutting down of the Minutemen at Columbia University last week.  I've been negligent.

For those who missed it, on October 4, Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, and two other anti-immigrant activists were invited by the College Republicans to give a talk at Columbia University.

The first speaker ranted for 45 minutes. Then, as Gilchrist started his speech, students - led by Chicanos and Latinos - took the stage with a banner reading "No one is illegal."  While Gilchrist  quickly fled in the face of opposition, other Minutemen goons attacked the anti-racist protesters, kicking one in the head, as can plainly be seen in this footage from Univision.

The right wing media went nuts, condemning the protesters and coddling the vigilantes. Ignoring the facts, the rest of the mainstream English-language media got in the act and the demonstrators have faced near-universal denouncement.

Even Jon Stewart attacked the anti-racist activists. (Have the White Nationalists he's been interviewing, like Lou Dobbs, Trent Lott, and Pat Buchanan, gotten to him? Is there a direct correlation between the increase in racists and the decrease in humor on that show?)  Yet the protesters remain unbowed:

We want to state clearly: We are proud to send the message to the country that racist and fascist groups are not welcome at Columbia or in New York City.

As Chicanos and Latinos, alongside African Americans and progressive people of other nationalities, we took it as our responsibility to give voice to the undocumented immigrant families who live in fear at terrorist vigilante groups like the Minutemen. Armed patrols by these groups force more and more people desperate for work to find even more hazardous ways into the United States. Over 3,000 people-including hundreds of children-have died in the desert. Their blood is on the hands of Gilchrist and his thugs.

They now face possible disciplinary actions by the university. We can help by signing a petition supporting them.  ANSWER has also set up a way to fax Lee Bollinger, Columbia's president, a statement supporting the demonstrators. As the students' statement says, "Fascist scapegoating is not up for academic discussion."

For more on this, I highly recommend today's Democracy Now! program, where yet again, in the face of reasoned opposition, this time from Karina Garcia, Political Chair of Columbia's Chicano Caucus, Jim Gilchrist stammers and flees like the racist coward he is.  May the Minutemen be greeted similarly wherever they show their heinous faces.

PS: For more anti-racist fun - St. Louis style - check this out.

Comments

[Muhammad]

That is seriously hard core. Racist groups should be called out on their idiotic activities and the actions of the Gilchrist dude just proves that they really don't have anything solid to stand on :P

[drydock]

Tactically the Columbia protest was a step backwards for immigrant rights. If the minutemen were truely a paramilitary organization I wouldn't oppose the protest. However they're not. There just some dumbell right wingers who hold an occasional protest and get some media attention. Since the PC left is so ineffective, they zero in on easy targets. In reality this doesn't do jack to advance the interests of immigrants or the working class as a whole.

Here's liberal reporter (and former translator of Salvador Allende) Marc Cooper take on what the minutemen are covering their media-hyped border protest:

Call them militias or vigilantes if you like but that sort of obscures the point. Yes, some will be carrying guns (legally here in Arizona) and that always presents a certain danger. But these are overwhelmingly weekend warriors who are going to spend most of their time sitting in lawn chairs and yakking to each other on handie-talkies. They are to real vigilantes (who would have to go out and take some real risks including having someone shoot back at them) what the Disneyland Jungle Boat Cruise is to Amazon Exploration.

Also, I hate to be a stickler about these things, but the First Amendment applies to these pseudo-militias as much as it does to the counter-protestors who will also be here tomorrow.

The best way to combat this nativist populism is not by calling them names or asking some or another government authority to ban their gatherings. Rather, they can be defeated only by the assertion of some real political leadership on the immigration issue.

[scott]

I don't think this protest was detrimental at all - in fact I think it was inspiring and an important action for anti-racists to draw on.

To address your points: The First Amendment only covers the government interferring in the speech of its citizens. The gov't did not intefer, hence no ones First Amendment rights were violated. Also, the event didn't have to shut down just because some people took the stage - Gilchrist chose to flee instead of waiting for the disruption to end. And I think it is important to note that these vigilantes talked for 45 minutes before the stage was taken.

As for the Minutemen being laughable idiots we don't need to pay attention to - I wish that were the case. They are most certainly a small movement with a fair share of yahoos, but that's not the whole story. Their ideology and arguments extend far beyond their numbers. Their violent, anti-human cause has been adopted by much more powerful individuals - such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Sensenbrenner, Bill Frist, etc. Extreme, anti-immigrants bills are being passed in Congress in large part because of the actions of the Minutemen and those like them.

So it is a mistake to dismiss them so easily. Instead, they must be countered wherever they may go.

[Sappho]

Thanks for posting this great news!

I would have to disagree with DryDock, though.
The protesters at the University were not taking away Gilchrist & the Minutemen's free speech, whatsoever. Unfurling an anti-racism banner & chanting on stage is not my idea of violent, nor was it meant to keep Gilchrist from speaking. It was, though, a way for the students to express their anger at not only the racist group, but their school for hosting such a group. The group on campus that invited the Minutemen to speak were a Republican group, hardly representing the majority of students.
In fact, the only violence I seen, was from a Minuteman who punked-kicked a student square in the face/head!
If you listened to the interview/debate that Democracy Now! hosted between Gilchrist and Garcia, Gilchrist ripped off his microphone, & stomped off like a little bitch when confronted with the question, "What about your ties to National Alliance"! He had the perfect opprotunity to debate the opposition and get his view across, yet scurried away once again when asked the tough questions about his racism. Same 'ol, same 'ol!

The Minutemen/SOS are very laughable, yet they are becoming increasingly violent not only at protests, but at the border as well.
Just recently, a member of the San Diego-based Minutemen pepper sprayed the oppostion not once, but 2-3 times at a protest in National City, Ca. for doing nothing.
At the border, members of the Minutemen/SOS have been openly saying that they wish they could shoot to kill immigrants who cross the border. On their website forums, this talk is rampant, & very racist in nature.
In fact, bodies have been found in the desert near the border of migrant crossers shot to death.
They may have once been legitimate anti-illegal immigrant groups, but they have spawned into racist, anti-Mexican groups. They could have very well been this all along, we just now see the truth.
I agree with Scott. This protest did not hinder the pro-immigration movement. It for one, inspired me to continue my fight against these groups. Plus, if you remember the May 1st marches---we are many, & able to organize in massive amounts for the cause.

[drydock]

Thanks for responding. Here's my counterargument.

This action's main accomplishment is that it allowed the minutemen to get a rather sympathetic platform on national media to air their noxious point of view. I just don't find it all that inspiring.

I have no inherent objection if you counterprotest or even get in the minutemen's face On the border, it makes sense. At a day laborer area, it makes sense. On an affluent college campus, however when overwrought college radicals take the bait, right wingers love it because they get to fake that they're being oppressed by the left.

My position on what should be done to advance immigrant rights is this: The American working class (of all races) needs to be persuaded that siding with immigrant rights is in their interest. We do this by making alliances: CLASS alliances across ethnic/race lines. We don't do this by trying to guilt tripping white workers with a bunch of shit about how privileged they are.

[michael benton]

I would like to extend an invitation to you to join in on a collective blogging section of our upcoming winter issue of Reconstruction. The issue is the “Theories/Practices of Blogging.” In addition to the special section of posts on blogging there will be about a dozen essays on blogging.

The deadline is October 27th.

Our intent in this section of the issue will be to collect a wide range of bloggers and link up to their statements in regards to why they blog (something many of us are asked) and any statement they have on the theories/practices of blogging.

If you already have a post on this you can feel free to use it, or, if you are interested, you can submit a new one.

We will link to each statement from the issue at our site, with the intent of creating a hyperlinked list of statements on blogging that can serve as an introduction to blogging (or an expansion of knowledge for those already blogging).

If you are interested please contact me at mdbento @ gmail.com

[sappho]

Drydock: Point taken. I understand where you are coming from, and agree with you on many points.
I think the protesting students were filled with passion, anger, & disgust. Rightfully so. Oftentimes, groups like the Minutemen, feed off this negative image & run with it for their advantage. They are an opprotunistic group that has no qualms about lowering themselves in that capacity. WE, as the opposition, need to remember this. I agree with you, that to fuel this may be sprinkling fuel onto the fire. But when emotions are so high, & racism is at play, I understand why it would be hard to remain composure.

[s]

spin

[HA HA]

Here's liberal reporter (and former translator of Salvador Allende) Marc Cooper take on what the minutemen are covering their media-hyped border protest:

Mark Cooper is no liberal. He's a paid operative of "Pajamas Media" (ie AIPAC).

Think "Alan Comes" in print.

[Alan Baker]

Free speech for me, but not for thee.